mwvsciencefair - ronv-tem4

Title: Produce Power!

Broad Question: Can food light a light bulb?

Specific Question: What type of produce can a light bulb the brightest?

Variables

Independent Variable: Different produce, Wire (Copper), Nail, Electric meater.

Dependent Variable: Size of produce (Apple), (lemon), (potato), Moisture,

Variables That Need To Be Controlled: Apple, Lemon, Potato

Hypothesis: I predict the Lemon will generate the most electricity

Graph of Hypothesis

General Plan

Materials List:

9 potatoes
9 copper pennies (or copper strips), one per produce
9zinc nails (these are galvanized nails, available hardware stores)
9 insulated wires, 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) long, with alligator clips at the ends
Electric meter

Detailed Procedure

Cut a small slit into each produce, large enough to slide a penny inside.
stick a zinc nail in the other side of the produce.
do this to the other produce.
attach a alligator clip to the nail and the penny attaching to the othe
When you connect the two loose ends of the copper wires to the power messenger.

Experimental Design

I am going to conduct an experiment to see witch food can light up a light bulb the brightest. When I conducted this experiment I will be doing this in my house in my kitchen. When I conduct this experiment all I will be doing this alone, my role is to set up the experiment and do the experiment and write down the data and put it on to the spread sheet. When I do this experiment I will need to do six total trials, I need to do two trials for each food and there are three different foods. As I conduct my experiment I will be recording the data straight on to my spreadsheet on the computer. When I do my experiment I will be putting it on to a spread sheet with the names of the foods on the X axis and on the Y there will be six columns that say ; no light, dim, light, lightest, bright, brightest. Then I will make my own choice on witch food is; no light, dim, light, lightest, bright, brightest.

Background Research

A potato battery is an electrochemical battery, otherwise known as an electrochemical cell. An electrochemical cell is a cell in which chemical energy is converted to electric energy by a spontaneous electron transfer. In the case of the potato, the zinc in the nail reacts with the copper wire. The potato acts as a sort of buffer between the zinc ions and the copper ions. The zinc and copper ions would still react if they touched within the potato but they would only generate heat.
Since the potato keeps them apart, the electron transfer has to take place over the copper wires of the circuit, which channels the energy into the clock.The chemical reactions that take place between two dissimilar metals and the juices in the potato create a small amount of voltage that capower a very small electrical deviceThe chemical reactions that take place between two dissimilar metals and the juices in the potato create a small amount of voltage that capower a very small electrical deviceThe chemical reactions that take place between two dissimilar metals and the juices in the potato create a small amount of voltage that capower a very small electrical device
You need a potato copper, wire and a nail.Stick the nail in one end of potato, and copper wire in the other end. You can give power to a digital clock, or a led, working with 1-2Volt battery, but not to a light bulb.Attach the copper wire to the + pole of the clock or LED, and using copper wire connect nail with the negative (-) pole.Zinc has 30 electrons and copper has 29 electronsIn the case of the potato, the zinc in the nail reacts with the copper wire. The potato acts as a sort of buffer between the zinc ions and the copper ions. Since the potato keeps them apart, the electron transfer has to take place over the copper wires of the circuit, which channels the energy into the clock.

1. The potato has a mild phosphoric acid content H3PO4

2. Reduction at Cu (copper) electrode:

2H+ + 2e- -> H2 gas

3. Oxidation at Zn (zinc) electrode:

Zn -> Zn++ + 2e-

The H3PO4 acid puts the hydrogen ions in solution.

So basically, the phosphoric acid in the potato acts like the acetic acid (vinegar) that we used in the pre-activity.

References

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/4726-how-potato-batteries-work#
http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/DEMOS/Potato_Power/Potato_Teacher.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071004062405AAclELb
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/how-to-make-potato-powered-light-bulb.htm

Results

1. The original purpose of the project was to see how bright i could light a led light bulb using the acid of a potato, apple, and a lemon.
2. the results of the experiment was that the potato gave off the most electricity